Supporting Efforts to bring World Cup to the United States
Floor Speech
Supporting Efforts to bring World Cup to the United States
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Mr. Speaker, with the excitement of this year's FIFA World Cup competition in South Africa and the achievements of the U.S. Men's National Team still fresh in our minds, I rise to support efforts to bring the world's most popular sporting event--the FIFA World Cup competition--back to our country.
In 1994, our nation hosted the FIFA World Cup tournament. That tournament still holds the record for the highest attendance in history, with an overall attendance of 3.6 million. It also spurred the development and popularity of soccer in this country, leading to the creation of Major League Soccer, the United States' national first division professional soccer league.
Building upon this country's enormous success in hosting the FIFA World Cup in 1994, the US Soccer Federation--through the USA Bid Committee--has submitted a very strong bid to host the 2022 competition.
Bringing the FIFA World Cup tournament back to the United States will both contribute to the further growth of soccer in America and stimulate the economies of dozens of cities and states that hope to serve as hosts to national teams and spectators from around the world. Eighteen communities across the country, including Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD, are working with the USA Bid Committee to serve as potential hosts for the games during the month-long competition.
I want to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen as well as my fellow co-chairs of the Congressional Soccer Caucus--George Miller, Dave Reichert, and Mary Bono Mack--for their support of this important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, the United States faces formidable competition in hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament from several countries in Asia and Australia, but with Congressional encouragement and support for USA Bid Committee's effort in advance of FIFA's decision on December 2nd, it would send an important message to FIFA at this critical time.
I urge my colleagues to support this timely resolution.
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